"You saw it in the tears of those who survived" — Words by Ben Okri & Art by Ben EineVillage Underground, 54 Holywell Lane, London EC2A 3PQ

The 14 June 2017 fire at Grenfell Tower, in north-west London, was more than simply a tragic loss of more than 80 lives. The fire opened a national debate on inequality – with many people across London and the United Kingdom voicing anger at the disparities between rich and poor in North Kensington and across the country. Ben Okri, the Booker Prize-winning Nigerian writer who lives near Grenfell Tower, composed a 1,600-word poem in response to the fire; the poem was published in the Financial Times and broadcast on Channel 4 News. We decided that Okri's poem was the perfect inspiration for a mural honouring the victims and survivors of the fire. All we needed then was the right artist: and we found him in the celebrated lettering artist Ben Eine. You can learn more about Paint the Change and our Grenfell Tower mural at our blog.